oh, canada .

So I have this map thing on my blog that sorta shows where views are coming from, and recently a good number has been from Canada... Given that I don't know anyone from Canada, it's kind of interesting to think that maybe I caught someone's eye, and they decided to follow along. I was never really sure if the whole blog thing was going to catch on... I think that for a lot of people it was a chance to break from studying at school; when I first started writing I used to see views all over the place. Those drastically dropped off over the summer. But the friends who I am close to and know where they live, well, I see their views all the time. You know who you are -- and guys, I'm flattered that you find what I write to be interesting enough to be constantly reading about my life.


Some people have this ridiculous following on some blogs, and even some of the ones that I follow. And then there's people that just write to write, and may not care if they have any sort of audience or not. I like writing -- so whether there were people reading or not, I'd be writing. This is a nice way to get it all down, to release thoughts and all the emotions that come with it onto the paper, leaving myself a bit more free and clear mentally. I don't need to have 8 billion readers and never expected to... It's just heartwarming to know that friends are able to keep up with me even if we don't talk much.

Anyways, Canada. (Since, after all, the title has Canada in it) I took a trip to Canada a long time ago (almost ten years now) and loved it. The weather was perfect, the humidity was continually absent, and the scenery was gorgeous. My family spent a lot of time hiking in the Canadian Rockies, and moving from town to town. It was an exhausting trip as we must've walked miles every day, unless we were traveling, but it was so worth it.

It reminds me a lot of Vermont, where the roads seem way out in the country, winding through the hills, and the cold crisp air burns on the way down to your lungs (I love that feeling). Vermont felt real small-town to me... and while every state has big cities, it seemed just really peaceful and content, even in Burlington, which is a pretty big area.

I've always been a cold weather guy, and so mountains and cold and snow is all up my alley. I'm trying to sculpt my graduate school decision around some sort of place that I can board at. I've considered Canada as an eventual settling-down place, and if the whole architecture thing doesn't work out, maybe working on the ice roads up there could be a neat (and exhilarating) job.

In the spring, I hope to be able to take a trip up to Canada to get in some serious mountain biking. What a sweet way that would be -- spending a week up there. Everyone thinks I'm crazy when I say that. They wonder what could possibly be going through my head as I go north for my time off instead of south to warmer weather. Eh, I just love the cold.

So, here's to you Canada, for being awesome. And to the random Canadian reader, I tip my hat to you, and hope to provide many more thoughtful insights into daily life.